1. Explain why the can collapsed using the Combined Gas Law where T1 is the initial temperature of the air inside the can before the can was inverted and T2 is the temperature of the air inside the can after it was plunged into the ice water.
2. Why did the can need to be inverted?
3. Adding water to the can and boiling it pushes the air molecules out of the can. Why is this step needed?
Go on Youtube and put in Can Crusher Experiment, it'll help.
1. The Collapsing Can Experiment demonstrates the relationship between pressure, volume, and temperature using the Combined Gas Law. The law states that the product of pressure and volume is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of a gas. Mathematically, the formula can be represented as P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2, where P1 and P2 are the initial and final pressure, V1 and V2 are the initial and final volume, and T1 and T2 are the initial and final temperature.
In this experiment, the can is initially filled with air at a certain temperature, denoted as T1. When the can is inverted and plunged into ice water, the temperature of the air inside the can decreases, causing a decrease in T2. According to the Combined Gas Law, the product of P1V1 and T2 should be equal to the product of P2V2 and T1. Since the pressure inside the can is constant, the volume decreases as the temperature decreases. This decrease in volume creates a lower pressure inside the can compared to the pressure of the air outside the can, resulting in the can collapsing.
2. The reason for inverting the can in the Collapsing Can Experiment is to create a seal between the can and the ice water. By flipping the can upside down and submerging it into the icy water, the open end of the can is in contact with the water and reinforces the seal. This ensures that no air can enter or escape from the can during the experiment. Without this step, the air pressure inside the can would not decrease, and the can would not collapse.
3. Adding water and boiling it in the can in the Can Crusher Experiment serves two essential purposes. Firstly, by filling the can with water and heating it, the air inside the can is forced out. This step removes most of the air from inside the can, leaving behind primarily water vapor. Secondly, boiling the water increases its temperature and consequently its vapor pressure. The pressure of the vapor becomes higher than the external atmospheric pressure, causing the can to be crushed when suddenly cooled off.
I appreciate your suggestion to watch the Can Crusher Experiment on YouTube. Watching such experiments can provide visual demonstrations and reinforce the concepts explained above.